Unravel
by scaredfox
Summary: The story of an elusive vixen, and a whole bunch of people trying to figure her out. Fem!Naruto. RATED M FOR A REASON.
1. Sasuke

**7.1.2018**

* * *

Sasuke

There weren't many things that sparked the interest of Uchiha Sasuke.

However, Uzumaki Naruto was an enigma. The times she spoke were rare. The times she showed emotions were even rarer, if ever. Even after observing her for a while, her stoic expression remained unreadable; she was irritatingly undemonstrative, and far more impassive than the infamously anti-social Uchiha himself.

It aggravated Sasuke to no end. But why— _why_ it did, he had no idea. She was one of the rare few that didn't fuss over him, so he really shouldn't have cared. She was constantly missing days, causing her to end up near the bottom of the class, and he really shouldn't have cared. She was a dead last who simply didn't care for school. Other than that, he really didn't know much else about her. So _why_ she seemed to intrigue him so much, to a point he actually cared to find out about these things, he truly had no idea.

Today was one of the days she was in class. It was impossible to predict when she would be in, since her absences showed no patterns. _Yes,_ he had been keeping track of when she was in. Today was also one of the days she was wearing a mask; a black mask that covered half her face, to be exact. She only wore it on some days, which made no sense to him. You either wear it, or you don't, right?

It didn't really matter. All it did was only further make him believe that she truly was an enigma. That was the only true label he had for her. A bibliophile, maybe? All he ever really saw her do was read whenever she wasn't doing work. And Naruto hardly ever did work. What exactly she was reading, he didn't know. He hadn't attempted to find out, really. She was always secluded when she was reading, and he _wasn't_ going to approach her.

The girls thought her odd, that much was obvious. They would whisper about her often, noting how she wasn't friends with anyone, or how she never spoke, and other stupid things he didn't really pay attention to. The only girl who seemed to have any positive interest with said enigma would be the timid Hyuga heiress who often hovered around her, as if trying to start a conversation, but never seemed to actually engage in any form of communication. There was a possibility she viewed the blonde as intimidating. Even if Naruto was quiet, it wasn't because she was shy.

Perhaps he simply found interest in observing her.

That's what he liked to believe, but that didn't explain or let him to understand why her odd behaviour caught his attention so much.

When he wasn't thinking about getting stronger in order to seek vengeance on his brother, or something of that nature, his mind seemed to go back to her.

Maybe she was just a distraction for him. Not the bad kind, nor the good kind. Simply a distraction.

He would settle for that for now.

He didn't know whether she was strong or not. He hadn't ever seen her fight. She was never there to spar. The only pattern there was, that may or may not have even been a pattern since she missed so many days, was that she was never there on days of the week they would focus on things such as fighting. These days alternated every other two weeks, then again, so unless she had access to some kind of rota, he didn't know how she managed to always miss those days. That only seemed to drive him to wanting to know whether she could fight. Perhaps she was better than the other girls in his class. Although, he didn't believe that was necessarily too hard to achieve.

Why did he care? It wasn't as if knowing whether she could fight would benefit him.

Uchiha Sasuke did not need nor want a sparring partner.

Naruto barely spoke. Barely anybody spoke _to_ _her_. It was as if she was a plague. Almost every academy teacher would give her _a look._ It was never a good look—it was always one of hostility. Anger. Fear. Disgust. Hate. It only made him want to know more.

He hated not knowing.

He shouldn't have cared.

But he did.

He didn't even know what he cared about exactly.

The only time he could remember seeing her outside of the academy was when he was extremely young. Long before the night of the Uchiha massacre. Perhaps around when he was 5 or 6. He never interacted with her, he simply recalled her being a trouble maker. She'd run around the village, hiding from shinobi chasing her after pulling pranks. He only ever caught glimpse of her if anything.

If he had any recollection of a time she smiled, it was then. There was never a mask in the way, or any memory of her brooding like him, as she does now.

His father used to make a somewhat light hearted comment something along the lines of "Make sure you don't copy that behaviour. I can't have the son of the police force being a trouble maker."

That was to be expected. It was more his mother's reaction to seeing Naruto which really sparked most of his interest. She'd never comment, but a sad smile never failed to appear on her face. She looked as if she knew something—as if she regretted something. He never found out what. It bothered him to this day.

It was at some point during the first year of being at the academy that her attendance dwindled. He didn't have an interest in her at this point, but he remembers her smile and somewhat annoying persona disappearing.

One person might not understand why there was such a dramatic change in personality, but he did.

Albeit not knowing what exactly happened to her, he knew something must've happened. He hadn't been able to figure it out himself for a while, but then he realised the exact same thing happened to him. After the Uchiha Massacre, he never was quite the same. He didn't like talking to people after. He didn't like people bothering him. His goals in life changed. His focuses changed.

He wondered what happened to her.

So, what _did_ Uchiha Sasuke know about Uzumaki Naruto?

She was an orphan. Parentless. Always had been. He didn't know who her parents were. He didn't know if anyone did.

Appearance wise, she had dark blonde hair—golden, even—that reached her lower back. It was held in pigtails most of the time, or a ponytail, and she had messy bangs which framed her face. Her hair was never worn down. There was only one day that he could remember her wearing it down, and it was because her band had broken.

That was a rather irrelevant memory he remembered vividly, for some reason. She had a habit of playing with the bands in her hair, constantly taking them out and re-tying her hair. He never figured out why she would repeat this process so many times, but she did. After pulling too hard, her band snapped. The class had been quiet enough for him to hear the slight murmur of annoyance she had uttered under her breath. The rest of the day was spent with her hair down, and a rather potent killing intent radiating off of her. He noticed that, ever since then, she began to wear two extra hair ties on either of her wrists.

Naruto also had three odd whisker-like marks on both her cheeks. Her eyes were blue. Her birthday was in October. And she wore orange.

Sasuke didn't particularly like the colour orange.

She didn't wear too much of it—her clothes were still predominantly black. Black shorts. Black shoes. Black socks. Black mask. Black mesh top. She only wore an orange jacket that was forever unzipped, and even that had black around the shoulders, but, nonetheless, it was mostly orange.

He couldn't understand why someone who was becoming a ninja would wear such a bright and obvious colour. _Orange._

He knew she always disappeared after class. The second she walked out of the door, she seemed to just vanish into thin air. He had never actively tried to properly pursue her, but he'd always look around to see whether she was in sight. She never was. He wondered where she ran off to. He wondered how she just disappeared. Everything she did seemed to evoke too many questions for him.

He didn't know whether she belonged to any clan, or whether her parents were of civilian background. The very name 'Uzumaki' didn't seem to ring any bells.

Who was Uzumaki Naruto?

Sasuke wanted to find out.

* * *

A library visit later, Sasuke was stunned.

The information had been relatively easy to access, but the dust that covered the scrolls on this particular clan and this part of Konoha seemed to suggest it had remained untouched for a while. The Uzumaki clan.

Sasuke had resisted the urge to wince when he walked past that of his own clan, but, not too far across from it, filed under 'U', there they were. Scrolls about whatever clan Naruto had descended from.

Or, rather, _a_ scroll. Rather than having multiple of them which usually informed a reader on things such as clan history and such, there was only one scroll under Uzumaki. His own clan had about five, and even that was on the scarce side compared to some of the scrolls and files of certain clans in the library.

He grabbed it, eager to find out more, and threw himself on the library floor.

The Uzumaki symbol was the first thing that caught the attention of Sasuke upon opening the first scroll. It was exactly the same as the one on the flak jackets worn by Konoha ninja—as well as being on Naruto's sleeve. Did that mean she knew of her own clan? Was it just a coincidence? Why did Konoha ninja wear them?

His curiosity and intrigue grew.

 _The Uzumaki Clan were the most prominent clan of Uzushiogakure, a Hidden Village located in the Land Of Uzumaki clan were renowned for various things, such as the members living notoriously long lives, earning the village the name "The Village of Longevity", as well as their knowledge in fuinjutsu. A common known physical feature of the clan is their deep red hair, which is often what allowed outsiders to recognise people as a member of the clan._

There were two things from this which led Sasuke to be even more confused. One was the fact that Uzumaki Naruto did not have red hair, and also the fact this was all entirely written in the past tense. He ignored the subtle lump in his throat that developed because of this and continued to read.

 _Uzushiogakure held close ties with Konoha, due to close relations between the Uzumaki and the Senju—who are rumoured to be distantly related—which is why the flak jackets of Konoha shinobi don the Uzumaki clan symbol. It's worn as a sign of friendship and, today, as remembrance of a close clan's extensive knowledge on seals is argued to be what led to the village's destruction during the Second Shinobi World War, as certain villages feared they were growing too powerful._

It seemed the lump in his throat couldn't be ignored any longer.

 _It is unknown where the majority of the survivors scattered to, especially so many years after, but there are known and particularly notable members and descendants of the Uzumaki Clan in Konoha. Uzumaki Mito, wife of the Shodaime Hokage, migrated from Uzushiogakure to Konoha and was a formidable kunoichi, possessing a very unique and powerful Chakra type even for an Uzumaki. Like many of her clan, her fuinjutsu skills were exceptional._

Sasuke extended the scroll further, only to be met with blank paper. For a clan that was supposedly so formidable, he was sure their had to be more. For a clan that had such a close relation to Konoha too, he couldn't understand why there was only that.

Sasuke couldn't ignore his interest.

* * *

 **© Masashi Kishimoto**


	2. Shikamaru

**10.1.2018**

* * *

Shikamaru

Nara Shikamaru readied himself for yet another day at the academy, which would most likely be yet another day of being given work that he found too easy, but all the while still too 'troublesome' to actually do.

He was somewhat early today, his mother's nagging ensuring that he wouldn't be late—although he hardly ever was, even though it wouldn't particularly bother him if that were the case. It was more so he didn't get an earful, which was far more troublesome than having to get out of bed. He mostly slept in class anyway.

He walked into the classroom, only to find his desk was currently being occupied by a group of girls. There weren't any properly allocated seats, but most people had seats they generally went to sit in, and most people stuck to them. Well, except for the odd few, as demonstrated by the girls who took over where he and Choji usually sat.

A sigh escaped him. He already knew that Choji wouldn't be in today, as he was ill, for what reason Shikamaru could only imagine, so he simply went to find a seat that wasn't occupied elsewhere. Catching no sight of Kiba either, he decided to sit in the seat next to the ever brooding Uchiha Sasuke. Shikamaru didn't exactly have issue with Sasuke, he just wasn't particularly fond of his attitude toward, well, anyone but _himself_. He could understood why he was so reclusive—having your entire clan slaughtered could most likely do that to a person—but, to Shikamaru, that didn't excuse how he kind of acted as if he was superior to everyone around him. But Sasuke's reserved nature would serve him well today, as it meant he could sleep without being bothered, even if he may become subject to judgement from the raven haired boy.

When he took his seat, he noticed the Uchiha's eyes acknowledge him for a moment, but, other than that, there wasn't much of a response. He laid his head down on the desk, allowing himself just a few more minutes of rest.

"Good morning, Class!" Iruka chirped, his usual upbeat mood apparent. Shikamaru looked up from his desk, his few minutes of bliss over before they had even began. _How_ his sensei managed to stay forever positive while dealing with a class of eleven year olds, Shikamaru didn't know. He respected him for it though. He definitely wouldn't have been able to manage were he in Iruka's place.

"Good morning, Iruka-sensei." The class drawled back in the same usual monotonous tune. Their sensei released a slight sigh, a smile still remaining on his face.

"As you all should know from last week, after lunch today we'll be doing sparring practise, as well as kunai and shuriken training." Iruka paused for a moment, allowing the mix of cheers and groans that filled the classroom to pass. " _However_ , this morning, we're going to be doing a bit of a history lesson on the Second Hokage, Senju Tobirama, and what the village was like in the time of his rule. Make sure you're taking notes as I go along, because there'll be a quiz on this next week. Now, as the name implies, and as most of you know already, he was the First Hokage's brother. He took the mantle of Hokage after his brother's death. Some of you might not know that he was also our current Hokage's sensei, and was in charge of his three-man team…"

Shikamaru began to zone out. Most of what his sensei was saying was common knowledge which he already knew—his clan subjected him to enough history lessons already. It wasn't interesting enough to keep his attention, and he knew enough to do decently on the quiz. If he even could be bothered to attempt it, that was.

His attention was, however, caught by Iruka's sudden rise in volume.

"Naruto! Why're you late?" He bellowed.

Shikamaru's eyes landed on the blonde who nonchalantly strolled into the classroom, hands in her pockets, mask covering her face. He didn't fail to notice how the Uchiha subtly sprung up in his seat at the mention of her name, or how intently he seemed to be watching her—as if her mere presence was surprising. Well, then again, Naruto was in the day before, _and the day before that_ , and for her to attend for 3 days in a row was rather rare. But, even so, he hadn't expected Sasuke to seem so interested in the fact she was there.

 _Weird_.

Before she was given the chance to speak, another person opened the door. Stood behind her was a man, seemingly about the same age as their teacher. Although, it was hard to tell with the fact he was wearing his own mask, which covered more of his face than Naruto's. That possibly explained her own usage of a mask, but he had no idea what relation he had to her. The man's hair was silver, spiky, and he wore the usual Konoha ninja attire. Either a chunin or a jounin, Shikamaru gathered.

He looked back at Sasuke, who looked focused on both Naruto and the man who was with her.

The man rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and let out a chuckle. "Sorry. That'd be my fault. There was a cat stuck in a tree and it was harder than anticipated to rescue. I didn't realise she would be late. Apologies."

"Ah, I—I see. It's alright, Kakashi-san. Naruto,"—Iruka gestured to the seats—"if you would."

Naruto looked back at Kakashi, who seemingly smiled at her, if he could tell from the crease that formed on the side of his one visible eye, and waved before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

He couldn't tell what her expression was. She returned her gaze back to the class in front of her, and began scanning the room for an empty seat.

Shikamaru suddenly realised that there were in fact only two available seats in the classroom—and the whole non-appointed seating plan had been thrown off. One of the seats was next to a pair of girls who, a year prior, had an _incident_ with the Uzumaki, which led the two to being rather scared of her, as well as a temporary suspension for Naruto. The other seat, however, was next to him.

He watched as Naruto walked up to the desk of the girls, dragging her nails across it as she walked past. The girls remained frozen, leant away from Naruto, watching her every move. But, she didn't sit in that seat, instead choosing the one next to Shikamaru. He couldn't help but be amused.

He didn't mind that she decided to sit next to him. Shikamaru didn't dislike Naruto; on the contrary, actually. He couldn't quite figure out why parents told their kids to stay away from her. His never did, but he knew some of his classmates were told just that. _"Stay away from that child."_

This was mostly in the first year at the academy. He remembers getting looks from some of the adults when they were younger merely from the fact they were playing together. He never understood it then, he still didn't understand it now.

Even if Naruto had grown up to be somewhat intimidating.

She never was when she was younger. She was loud, energetic, borderlining irritating at times, and forever smiling. She was happy, but then she didn't attend for a month or so, and her entire persona changed when she came back.

Instead of wanting to hang out with Choji, him and Kiba, she stopped talking to them. She practically stopped talking to everyone. He still wanted to know why, but they never asked again after the first time. In a childish anger, Kiba had stormed up to Naruto after two weeks of being ignored and dismissed by her. After asking her why she never talked to them anymore, she gave a response Shikamaru still to this day was trying to decipher.

"I don't want to play anymore."

He couldn't figure out why.

Shikamaru hated not being able to solve something.

Unbeknownst to the Nara, the Uchiha next to him buzzed with anticipated.

* * *

 **I know it's a bit of a short chapter, I'm sorry! I just didn't want to write more than necessary. The next chapter should be up soonish. I have a lot of work right now but I wanted to get this chapter out fairly quickly.**

 **Reviews are always appreciated!**


	3. Kakashi

**01.03.2018**

* * *

Kakashi

She had awoken with a scream, and Kakashi was convinced he felt his heart being ripped out of his chest.

 _(And the memories of Rin came back once again, but he suppressed them once more because it wasn't his trauma that had caused her to cry out or break the lamp on the cabinet next to her.)_

He dropped the tea he was making, cursing under his breath as the hot liquid spilled over his hands and onto the floor, but simply wiped it on his shirt so not to spread the mess even more. He rushed to her room, as he always did, making sure to open the door tentatively so he didn't startle her even more.

 _(He never believed he was good at this, but she needed someone. He had had no one and she needed someone.)_

His breath hitched when he saw her. Her eyes were shut, hands tightly clutching the hair on the sides of her head, only moments away from ripping it all from her scalp—which she had done before, and it had been a bloody mess—and Kakashi swallowed nervously as he recalled it all.

 _(All he felt was guilt, because he could've prevented this. He could've saved her. He could've stopped her from ever experiencing something so damaging and awful and sickening and he struggled to breathe with every passing moment as he remembered it all.)_

She was heaving. He knew he had to calm her, but he froze at the sight of her tear-stained cheeks and red face and how she was shaking, rocking back and forth, and pleading for them to _'go away'_ as she cried. He knew he had to calm her as her wails borderline screams and she starts begging and pleading for the non-existent men in the room to _'stop', 'please stop!'_ He knew he couldn't let himself succumb to the own stinging behind his eyes where the tears threatened to spill.

 _(He could've protected her. If only he hadn't avoided her for all those years because he was too weak to handle the way her eyes were the exact same as her mother's or how her colouring was just like her father's and how the whiskers on her cheeks were a reminder of the demon that had taken the two last things he had. He shouldn't have been so weak.)_

He sat on the side of her bed, but she didn't notice how the weight shifted on the mattress beside her. Slowly, Kakashi extended his arm outward to grab hers, to prevent her from hurting herself again. He made sure his muscles were tensed enough so when she felt the contact on her skin, when she inevitably tried to fight him off, _she_ wouldn't hurt _him_. He had made that mistake once before, and he didn't particularly want a broken arm again.

( _"I'm sorry." She cried, "I'm sorry." Kakashi smiled solemnly. Maybe he had trained her just a little too well, since a ten-year-old shouldn't have been able to break his arm, but it was his fault she was this way anyway. It was his fault he didn't save her before it all happened. He insisted it was okay, but she kept persisting. "I'm sorry". It wasn't her who should've been apologising. It wasn't her who should've felt guilty.)_

"Naruto." He said in the lowest, calmest voice he could muster. The second his fingers curled around her arm, she instinctively opened her eyes and went to grab his arm—the arm of the one who would _dare_ touch her. He released his grip but kept his arm firmly in place. As her own hand swung around, he blocked it. " _Naruto_." He repeated again, attempting to break the trance she was in.

The second her eyes met his—her scared and terrified eyes that painfully reminded him of Rin's—she calmed. Not entirely, but she pulled her arms away and realised where she was. And it wasn't in a room full of bad men who had done terrible things, who, despite the fact she killed them all, haunted her to this day.

 _(If he could wipe all the awful memories away, he would. If we had to deal with the trauma instead, he would. But he couldn't. He couldn't take the pain away. He could only watch and regret how he hadn't prevented it all.)_

Her breathing was still heavy, still shaky and broken and uneven, but she had stopped heaving. Her sobs quietened, but her lower lip still quivered in a way that broke Kakashi's heart. She didn't live in his apartment, but she ended up staying in Kakashi's previously unused guestroom more times than he could count, and while part of him sometimes wished he hadn't grown so attached to the Uzumaki—he was too scared he wouldn't be able to protect her again, too scared that he'd lose her—he didn't mind that she slept there most nights. He didn't mind her having the nightmares here, because that meant she at least didn't wake up alone.

 _(Like she had been that night. Alone.)_

"Kakashi." She spoke weakly, as if to confirm it was him. He smiled softly behind his mask, removing her hands from her hair which had loosened their grip. Only a few strands came out as he did so. No large clumps, luckily.

 _(Her hair was a winning trait, he had told her, just like her mother's.)_

"You're okay." He told her, wiping away the tears with his thumbs. "Everything's okay."

She weaved her way into a hug, nearly pushing him back. He wasn't one for affection, he had never been. It was uncomfortable, and awkward, and _needed_.

 _(He found comfort in it also. He was meant to be comforting her, yet he found himself relieved by the action. Relieved by the fact she held no resentment toward him despite the fact he hadn't been able to protect her on that night.)_

She let out a long sigh, head buried in his chest. He returned the embrace, soothingly stroking her back, careful to be gentle. No matter how good a ninja she became, no matter the fact she was ruthless and strong and he had once had to hold her back from killing a man who so much as looked at her the wrong way—

 _(It was the wrong way. The wrong, worst, way, and Kakashi had also held himself back as he did Naruto.)_

She was, ultimately, fragile.

She donned a mask for a reason. Emotionally, and then physically too.

 _(She realised it was her whiskers that told of what she was. Everyone knew, anyway, even without the mask, but she especially wanted one because of him. He encouraged her not to wear it—he was too reliant on it, he didn't want it to be the same for her—and on some days proved successful, but on most, she continued in the same way.)_

After breathing evened, and after her crying stopped, she moved back, breaking the hug. Her eyes were still watery, and she was still sniffling from moment to moment, and her cheeks and nose remained tinted red, but she still looked miles better than she had before. She gave a weak smile to Kakashi, before once again putting on her stoic mask. Kakashi hated it, but he understood.

"I think I'm going to go to the academy today."

He eyed the digital clock on her cabinet, as well as the broken glass of the lamp which surrounded it, which he'd have to clean later. "You'll probably be late at this rate."

"I don't mind."

She was volatile. She always was on edge after a nightmare—after such a vivid reminder—and it caused Kakashi to worry. He simply nodded, but at the back of his mind he was reminded of the fact today was a day for sparring. He always stole the rota for her, so he knew she knew that. She'd most likely be fine, but Kakashi knew, there was a split chance she'd see red and it'd end badly for whoever she has to fight. He'd just need to watch from the shadows, just in case.

 _(Like he always had, like he always would.)_

* * *

 **This was super easy to write, for some reason. Not that I'm complaining though. Also, just in case anyone thinks of ships for future, as much as I adore KakaFem!Naru, they're going to have a much more sibling-esque relationship, borderline parent for Kakashi. I feel that's only appropriate since he's been around her from a super young age.**

 **If it isn't obvious yet, this story is being told from all perspectives except Naruto's. This is kind of an experimental thing for me, more than anything. I'm trying to explore varying writing styles. I hope you're all enjoying so far! Leave me your thoughts, maybe?**


	4. Kurama

**01.01.2019**

 **A/N at bottom of chapter.**

 **TW: Implied sexual assault of a minor. Reader discretion is advised.**

* * *

 _Flashback:_

Kurama felt many things towards humans. He loathed them. Truly and utterly detested them. They were the reason he became the supposed 'embodiment of hatred', after all. He wouldn't exactly disagree with that title though. In fact, he wore it with pride. He was more than willing to display his pure and seemingly undying hatred to the puny beings that were the human race.

He truly thought his dislike towards them had reached full capacity. His hatred truly could not grow any further. After being sealed, into not one, not two, but three goddamn Uzumaki women, being controlled by two Uchihas by their accursed bloodline limit, and being 'split in half' by the Fourth Hokage, he could safely say he despised these hairless monkeys. They were such lowly thing compared to him; the mighty Nine-Tails. The _Kyuubi_.

However, his disgust towards them proved to be completely different. If he could, he would gladly speak for hours about how much they repulsed him. But, before now, he had never been so sickened by them that he could feel the bile rise to his throat—despite it being impossible in this form, he could physically taste it. It was appallingly nauseating.

It wasn't the killing intent, no. Theirs was nothing compared to what he had felt in the past, and nothing compared to his. It wasn't the fact that they were singling her out because she held him inside—that was to be expected. It was more…what they were doing. What they were trying to do.

He didn't like the girl by any means. But, even he understood that she was only a child. He knew that if any these beings were "innocent", it would be one of her age. Having been stuck with her for the last 7 years, he found that she was annoyingly bright and bubbly. Annoyingly. She was like her mother. She gave him headaches many times from her laughter and, in his opinion, sheer idiocy. He concluded, at first, that she was simply oblivious to the obvious hatred the village felt towards her, but dismissed that notion when she started to cry herself to sleep at night—which also gave him a headache at times. She seemed to just act oblivious to it; she was either an idiot, or she was very smart. However, the fact that she was spewing nonsense about becoming hokage left right and centre, made him presume it was the former rather than the latter.

Regardless he knew that, no matter what, she couldn't act oblivious to this. The more they did it, the more he felt that revulsion manifest within the pit of his stomach. He didn't exactly want to protect the girl, but even he couldn't stand it. He couldn't stand the fact that he _knew what these humans were doing to his jailor and couldn't do anything about it._

He didn't want to die, either. He didn't want them to kill her and for him to go with her.

It was self-preservation, he told himself. Merely self-preservation.

The jinchuurikis that held him before this had had the same thing done to them, but, it was…different. With them it was willing. Natural. And it never happened this early. He would've never been able to tell the difference before now. He would've simply said it's something humans do.

He never understood how it could violate someone before now.

He sometimes hated his ability to feel negative emotions, because the ones these three were emitting simply made his gut churn. It was truly sickening. But, even their emotions didn't compare to what the girl was feeling. That was what really got him. It had been a long time since he was so affected by a mere human's emotions.

He couldn't take it anymore.

The seal was nowhere near 'worn' enough for the girl to use his chakra, but he attempted it anyway. Surely he could push enough through. Just enough so she could stop them; just enough for _something_ to happen.

Kurama began exerting as much chakra as he could through the seal. It was resisting, he could feel it, but nowhere near as much as when she was a child and he had been truly attempting to break the seal. Some was getting through, no matter how little, which was enough to keep him going.

He hadn't expected her to appear before the seal.

He hadn't been ready to see the look of absolute fear in her eyes.

Because, it wasn't directed toward him.

"Where am I?" Her voice was as shaky as her body. She sounded so weak.

Kurama couldn't help the resentment he felt toward her purely for existing. She was the reason the Yondaime had put him here, in a cage in a goddamn gutter, and she looked exactly like him. She was like a small female version of him, simply sitting in front of him, and oh _kami_ did he want to kill her simply for that fact.

But still, her eyes held no terror toward him.

He didn't respond, only kept trying to push his chakra through.

"Can you help me?"

Kurama'a heart felt something it hadn't in a long time. He hated it. The kyuubi truly hated the fact he felt sorry for the girl. He hated the fact that her asking that question alone made him want to cry and rip out the throats of those three humans.

She stared at him expectingly. He remained silent.

Her eyes fell to the water.

He wanted ask her to open the seal. She would do it. She was too young and naive to know otherwise. And, if she did, he would be free. Free to wreak havoc on this village and destroy it by his own will. He could kill her, his jinchuuriki...

Or he could give her his chakra.

He tells her to open the seal.

And she tries to.

Kurama did not expect to see the yondaime appear before them and stop her, and the yondaime did not expect to see a seven year old naruto standing before him.

* * *

 **Hello everyone. I'm back, and I promise I'm back for good now. A new year resolution of mine is to update my fan fictions more frequently and write more often. I don't have a laptop currently, so I'm using my phone.**

 **The reason my updates became so infrequent was due to the usual culprit: depression. I've struggled on and off with depression from a very young age, and in 2018 from January until about June it was very severe. I struggled to get out bed or shower or go to school a lot of the time. There are a lot of reasons for this, but I've now left the toxic relationship I was in and I'm with someone who makes me immensely happy, and I've started college which is SO much better than Secondary school. My mental health has been extremely stable from about August and it's very odd and new for me to be content and productive and just happy with myself and where I am, especially for such a long period of time. I hope it lasts, and I hope anyone who's reading this who is struggling with anything at all right now knows it can and will get better.**

 **Here's to an amazing 2019.**


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